1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a remote control system including an image processing apparatus and an information processing apparatus connected with each other via a network, an image processing apparatus, a control method for the image processing apparatus, and a recording medium storing a program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, if a defective print or a defective reading has occurred on an image processing apparatus having a reading function and a printing function, and if a user has requested the maintenance of the image processing apparatus, a service engineer is generally dispatched to the installation location of the image processing apparatus to change and adjust a setting value for the image processing apparatus. In this case, the service engineer can directly operate the image processing apparatus to change the setting value for the image processing apparatus and execute test printing, test reading, and rebooting of the apparatus to apply the changed setting.
With the recent development of the network environment, a management method for executing a maintenance operation on an image processing apparatus connected to a network from a remote apparatus via the network has become more common. As a method for changing a setting value for an image processing apparatus from an external apparatus, a conventional method exists that controls the image processing apparatus remotely from a monitoring apparatus, by transmitting an operation screen displayed on an operation unit of the image processing apparatus to the monitoring apparatus (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-122424).
In the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-122424, an operation screen of an image processing apparatus is transmitted to a monitoring apparatus in bit patterns and the image processing apparatus can be remotely controlled by indicating a predetermined position of a displayed bitmap image on the monitoring apparatus. In such a conventional method, an operation screen of an image processing apparatus installed in a remote place is displayed on an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer (PC), via a network. Thus, the user can operate the image processing apparatus, view and verify information and data, and can execute remote control of the image processing apparatus. As a viewing application, a World Wide Web (WWW) browser and Virtual Network Computing (VNC) can be used.
However, in the above-described conventional method, if the remotely located monitoring apparatus changes the value set on the image forming apparatus, or compulsorily reboots the image forming apparatus via the network, then the user cannot recognize what setting or adjustment has been set or executed on the image forming apparatus. In this case, the user may feel disoriented because the user is not notified thereof.
Furthermore, the maintenance screen displayed for a service engineer may not be easy to understand. Accordingly, it may not be easy for the service engineer to predict what effect on the image processing apparatus may occur by changing the setting value for the image processing apparatus. In addition, it may be necessary to continue the maintenance operation if the problem to be solved (a failure item such as “printed on inappropriate position”, “tint adjustment”, or “density adjustment”) has not been solved, after verifying whether the failure has been solved by the maintenance.
Therefore, the conventional methods do not enable changing a setting for an image processing apparatus and verifying whether the failure has been solved by changing the setting through an interactive communication via a network between a remote information processing apparatus connected to the image processing apparatus, which is the target of the remote control from the information processing apparatus.